UPS joining Kenworth’s SuperTruck II program

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Updated May 30, 2018
Kenworth‘s project truck will be a T680 tractor equipped with an MX engine.Kenworth‘s project truck will be a T680 tractor equipped with an MX engine.

One of the world’s largest carriers, UPS, is joining Kenworth’s SuperTruck II program.

Funded by the Vehicle Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the $8 million program requires truck-makers and their partners to push the limits of Class 8 truck aerodynamics, engine and powertrain efficiencies. Goals for the program include the demonstration of greater than 100 percent improvement in freight efficiency over 2009 equivalent product, and a 55 percent engine increase in brake thermal efficiency performance.

Kenworth‘s project truck will be a T680 tractor equipped with an MX engine. UPS will provide guidance on their drive and duty cycles to drive SuperTruck II performance.

“UPS will also offer advice on the commercial feasibility and driver acceptance of technologies developed under SuperTruck II,” says Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president.

Bill Brentar, UPS director of maintenance and engineering for transportation equipment says the collaboration with Kenworth is an opportunity to study cutting-edge technologies in real-world truck applications, “expand the boundaries beyond what is possible today, and further enhance performance and efficiency. This initiative will also help support UPS’s sustainability commitment to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from global ground operations 12 percent by 2025.”  

Up to $12 million in additional funding could be awarded for the Kenworth project over the next three years, subject to annual appropriations by Congress, which to-date has been supportive of the SuperTruck initiative.

Kenworth also is working closely with the Paccar Technical Center and Paccar subsidiary DAF Trucks NV, Eaton, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Mississippi State University and AVL.

According to the DOE, trucks haul 80 percent of goods in the United States and use about 28 billion gallons of fuel per year. This accounts for approximately 22 percent of total transportation energy usage and presents a significant opportunity to increase efficiency and reduce cost for a key segment of the nation’s transportation sector.

The Department’s Vehicle Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in early-stage research to spur private-sector research, development and commercialization of more energy efficient and affordable transportation technologies that increase energy security and economic growth.